The present invention relates to a vehicle for transporting products, comprising: a truck; a cargo space arranged on the truck for receiving the products during transport, with at least one access door.
Such vehicles are generally known, for instance refrigerator trucks, wherein products are transported to a destination in refrigerated state in the interior of the cargo space.
The known vehicles have the drawback that when one or more than one access door is opened much cold can escape from the cargo space and/or heat can penetrate into the cargo space, which results in the danger of an adverse effect on the products being transported, particularly if these are perishable. Other known vehicles are for instance refuse collection trucks for transporting refuse in the cargo space. Such known vehicles usually have the drawback of stench nuisance which, owing to good sealing of the cargo space, only occurs at the access doors, particularly when these are opened. The present invention thus relates to diverse types of known vehicles with a cargo space for transporting products, wherein problems occur with opening of an access door to the cargo space.
Further known from CH-A-435344 is a vehicle with an air curtain device close to the access door which, at least in the opened situation of the access door, generates an air curtain along a door opening of the access door.
In the case of refrigerator trucks an air curtain generated by the air curtain device obstructs air flows which could result in increase in the temperature in the cargo space. In the case of refuse trucks, stench emission is prevented to a large extent, while the problems associated with opened access doors in other types of vehicle are effectively combatted by arranging the air curtain device according to the present invention.
The vehicles known from CH-A-435344 have the drawback that the air curtain devices which are placed herein at the access door often cause undesired turbulence in the interior of the cargo space. Such turbulence in the cargo space is particularly undesirable in refrigerator trucks. Further, in other types of transport vehicle such as refuse trucks, wherein stench is a relevant factor, stench nuisance adjacently of and outside the vehicle is not obviated, or hardly so.
The present invention has for its object to obviate the above stated and other problems of known vehicles and provides for this purpose a vehicle which is distinguished in that the air curtain device comprises at least one fan, with an air feed duct which connects the fan to the exterior of the cargo space to supply outside air for the air curtain. In such an embodiment of the present invention an air circulation unfavourable for a refrigerator truck is prevented in the interior of the cargo space. In addition, in the case of for instance a refuse truck, outside air is used for the air curtain, which is favourable in holding inside the cargo space the strong-smelling air or vapours of the refuse to be transported in the cargo space.
In a second advantageous embodiment a vehicle has at least two access doors, each having an air curtain device, wherein at each of the access doors is arranged at least one detector, such as a door switch, which sets into operation the air curtain device associated with a relevant one of the access doors when the access door is opened. Thus is provided an energy-saving configuration, wherein only one air curtain device associated with the relevant opened access door is set into operation, while air curtain devices associated with other, still closed access doors remain inoperative.
In a third advantageous embodiment the air curtain device comprises an air feed duct and a fan, and a screen with air passages is arranged in the air feed duct with which the fan is protected against splash-water. The air curtain device of the vehicle according to the present invention is hereby efficiently protected against moisture, which increases the lifespan and reliability thereof.